Volkswagen Tiguan practicality and boot space

• Large and flexible loadspace trumps key rivals
• Enormous array of cubbies to hide valuables in
• Will paler interior trims stand the test of time?

A large part of any SUV’s appeal is its practicality and the second-generation Volkswagen Tiguan is no exception in this respect.

Depending on the specification you choose you’ll find an assortment of storage pockets and cubbies from dash-top lidded ones to drawers under the front seats.

It’s not only where you can carry things, but how they’re stowed. Many Tiguans have a front passenger seat which folds completely over to enable longer items to be swallowed with ease. It’s a really useful feature and complements the 40:20:40 split-folding rear-seat arrangement.

That’s not the back seat’s only trick: in a 60:40 split, the seat base slides forwards and back, increasing the Tiguan’s boot volume from 520 litres to 615 litres in the process.

Those figures outrank the BMW X1 (505 litres), Kia Sportage (503 litres), Nissan Qashqai (430 litres) and Renault Kadjar (472 litres).

It’s worth noting, however, that models fitted with the eHybrid powertrain lose a large chunk of boot space – bringing that load area down to 476 litres. That’s because the location of the batteries under the rear seats has necessitated the re-siting of the petrol tank below the boot floor.

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Fold the seats over, creating a near-flat load area, and the VW still leads those key rivals: its 1,655-litre capacity trumps the X1 (1,550 litres), Sportage (1,492 litres), Qashqai (1,585 litres) and Kadjar (1,478 litres).

In fact, there’s precious-little we can fault the Tiguan on, practicality-wise, save for how fresh some of the lighter-hued fabric interior trims might remain once they’ve spent a few months running the gauntlet of family life.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating
• Pop-up bonnet for pedestrian protection
• Raft of additional safety gear available

Safety is a key consideration when buying an SUV as a family car and the Volkswagen Tiguan is packed with a wealth of standard features, as well as several optional ones, to maintain the security of its occupants. It received a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2016. 

All Tiguans come complete with seven airbags – including one for the driver’s knee – as well as a raft of electronic safety aids, such as autonomous emergency braking, reducing the likelihood of you having to experience any of them being deployed.

Pedestrians are offered a further degree of protection thanks to active bonnet mounts which lift the body panel up and away from the engine in the event of a frontal collision.

Depending on the specification chosen, additional safety kit will either be standard or optional at extra cost, including a very effective adaptive cruise control system, a head-up display pod which is a paragon of clarity, automatic main beam for the LED headlamps and various alerts for changing lanes without indicating or reversing out into oncoming traffic.